TOTD: 2015 Lexus RC F or 2015 BMW M4 -- Which Would you Choose?

With the reveal of the 2015 Lexus RC F set for next week's Detroit auto show, Toyota has put BMW on notice again. The follow-up to the previous-generation Lexus IS F debuted this morning with two less doors, an LFA-inspired design, and more horsepower than before. The RC F won't be the only new luxury sport coupe making its debut in Detroit -- the all-new 2015 BMW M4 will be there too.

Though more details will be available when the RC F is unveiled to the public, on paper it already looks promising. Rather than downsize the RC F's engine like many of its rivals, Lexus stuck with its tried-and-true naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V-8, while fitting it with new tech to make it both more efficient and more powerful. The 2015 RC F's V-8 gets a 64-horse boost, now netting 480 hp, with power being routed to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic.BMW went the other way with the 2015 M4. The new M4 tosses the old M3's naturally aspirated 4.0-liter V-8 in favor of a new 3.0-liter twin-turbo I-6 making 425 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque -- an improvement of 11 horsepower and 111 lb-ft. While the RC F has a traditional torque converter automatic, the M4 offers a six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.

For today's Thread of the Day, we want to know which new luxury sport sedan you'd rather have. Would you go for the new 2015 Lexus RC F, or is the 2015 BMW M4 more your scene? Sound off in the comments section below.

I love them both. I'm curious at the price of both. I think performance will be equal, with M4 continuing it's strengths on the track and handling and feeling. For all of those talking about BMW's service. I've had no issue with both my e36 Cosmos Black M3 or e46 sapphire coupe. Just standard oil changes (2 a year) and then just doing the Insp. 2. No issues other than that. So $300 a year for maintenance and $800 every other year.

OK Peeps I am a current ISF owner and I've driven the new line up of Lexus , I've driven the C63 the M3 the 335 and Audi S5 a good number of times just to be sure (i am driving enthusiast I buy the car for driving pleasure not for the gadgets and status). Well I've decided with the ISF because it is the most fun to drive that V8 is heavenly to listen to and feel the power delivery, suspension is now upgraded and as good as it gets I regularly drive on track days and I DO pass most C63 and BMW and even Porches. The interior quality is something amazing even after very hard pushing on track days no rattling whatsoever. About the track days Lexus organizes a special F club to go out and we have our OWN pit crew from Lexus who check the cars before the day during the day and after the day. Not to mention We get laps in the LFA that is always with us. The LFA head technician looks after us and every time I take it in for service nothing is too much trouble for them.

Not one glitch with the car at nearly 100K and regular track days. And I do love the faces at the lights in other much more expensive cars when they don't even know what hit them:)

Just he other day an Aston owner tried twice without much success, its great fun.

This tells everything about this upcoming RCF if it is to be better than the ISF.

M Owners (or any other brand) honestly can you tell the same about your cars and service?

I'm not sure about that. The enormous Lexus grille looks weird and ungainly. It reminds me of a very large nose. On the other hand, the M4 looks nice but it's not nice enough. I would say its styling is almost boring.

So I definitely would not call either of these cars pieces of art. I am much more interested in the performance figures of these cars.

I could never pull the trigger on a BMW post e46. I see an e46 today and still think it is one of the best cars out there. The next gens with the V8 has an engine more suitable for the track, but the weight unsuitable for the track. During track weekends my friends would have to bring fans to cool off the brakes after 15min for hard driving.

On the street, i prefer the torquey V8 of the AMG and the ISF(10 and newer). Plus BMWs start looking old too quickly. The interior is the worst for the Luxury marquees and it ages really quickly.

The V8, interior and quality of the Lexus and the edgy styling wins it for me. I guess younger owners would prefer that, but i can see why older owners with a history would prefer the BMW styling.

Lexus really has to be commended. I believe this may be the beginning of a new chapter for F and Lexus.

I am really warming up to the design of the car. Finally, something bold, daring and fresh. The M4 already looks dated by comparison (especially the interior). It also has a masculinity and bold presence that I have missed with most new sports coupes (apart from the AMG C63 Black Series). Also, if the F team really are 'following the direction of the LFA' then we are in for a treat. The sound alone should make it a serious contender.

The only 'question marks' are the transmission and the ride. I have never been a fan of fast automatic transmissions. I have tried the latest C63 AMG and the transmission is the only fly in the ointment. I wonder if the F team will be able to inject enough passion into the 8 speed auto. Then there is the ride, the IS F I tried several years ago rode considerably worse than it's german counterparts. I do hope that they have found a better balance between performance and comfort in the RC F

Both BBC "Top Gear" & US "Super Cars Exposed" channels compared current Lexus ISF & BMW M3 Coupe and both favor BMW M3 with its better handling and driving dynamic. As a current '09 M3 Coupe owner, I do have 3 gripes: first its DCT although works beautifully at high speed, it is noisy and clumsy in stop-n-go traffic. Secondly, oil change costs $280 with super expensive Castrol 10W60 that is only available from dealer. Lastly, its fuel economy is rather dismal, which is to be expected with its natural aspirated V8.

Unless the new Lexus RC F can top BMW M4's handling and driving dynamic, I just don't see how it can outperform M4. That said, M4's turbo charged V6 does have it pros & cons. On the plus side, it is lighter & more fuel efficient. However, like my other '10 335i Coupe which is also a turbo-charged engine, it is susceptible to valve cover gasket leak due to higher engine chamber pressure. My 335i has to have a new gasket job at ~37K miles. According to BMW dealer mechanic, they said it is a common problem. The job cost ~$1000. Fortunately, mine was taken care under warranty. Nonetheless, it is unsettling to learn that I may have to deal with this issue at such frequent intervals.

On a personal note, I think that Lexus's latest corporate front aggressive grille design (some calls it "Angry Norelco") is just beyond my tolerance. At the end, if Lexus can some how put together the RC F without all of the above mentioned BMW M3 issues, I may still consider it as my next M3 replacement. But that is a very tall order.

1 ) What year ISF did Top Gear Test? Because the 2008 ISF and 2014 ISF drive like two different kind cars. A SUBSTANTIAL amount of upgrades to the handling have been done from the 08 year to 14 year ISF. There was a test by R&T where the ISF set down the same lap time as the M3 and that M3 had extra M upgrades.

2) The LFA tops everything BMW ever made in handling and driving dynamics... and thats a Lexus/Toyota ? Lexus stated that the LFA will be the bench mark of future models

3) Oh yeah speaking of Top Gear... Mr Clarkson stated that the LFA is the best car he ever drive in his career NOT a BMW or anything from Germany. Dont jump so soon to say you dont see how it can out perform the M4

4) " Lastly, its fuel economy is rather dismal which is to be expected with its natural aspirated V8"

INCORRECT. There isnt enough info on this car yet and You kno nothing about this engine to even have any credit to saying that what you actually dont kno is that toyota actually incorporated hybrid tech from the Pruis into this high tech V8 and i believe that at normal speeds the RCF uses a special engine cycle from the Pruis

If the RCF can offer excellent performance with none of the issues BMW typical have. Yeah BMW better worry.

My wife now drives a 2011 IS-f now has 73k miles, I drive it like I stole it sometimes with not one glitch of a problem, when my wife n I see someone driving a BMW looking stuck up, we laugh n say that's a newbie, that's what kinda of hate we developed for BMW n it's (purpose built money sucking maintenance engineering)

So all u BMW people, life is short drop the pride n live your life, Get The LEXUS n u dont have worry about what might happen when u wanna take a soothing weekend drive or to work ;)

@coo1rim Yes. If you are crazy busy in life you get a Lexus because you know that a. it will not fail, ever and b. you will never get attitude from the dealer. Also the aircon actually cools the interior when it is 100F and 98% humidity (important if you are east of the Rockies), I guess because they have that kind of weather in Japan as well.

Looks insane. Looks much more expensive then the M4 and looks like nth on the road ! You kno its something special just by looking at it... where the M4 will blend in with other BMW coupes only car nuts can tell its an M4.

The Lexus because..

1) V8 angry sound ( could you imagine the sound with an upgraded aftermarket )

Don't get me wrong, The V8 rumble will be missed I know that is something I will have to personally overcome but at the end of the day are not more cars sold on performance figures over music to your ears?? I LOVE the fact BMW is going to Turbocharged engines in there stock form they are going to be VERY quick cars and with 1,500 in tuning they just become BEASTS!! Would you want a 11.5sec 1/4 mile car or a 12sec car that sounds wonderful??

Very tough choice for me. They're both great cars and both will be great performers, but I think I'll have to go with the RC F by a small margin because I like its aggressive styling a bit more than the M4.

Honestly, as much as I love German vehicles, and am not a fan of Japanese vehicles (or at least wasn't...), I am a fan of Toyota's new found commitment to sportiness, as well as their stance that improving naturally aspirated engines (such as their V8s) is a better investment than the switch to forced induction that the rest of the auto industry seems to be making. With that in mind, in addition to the fact that Lexus's V8 is more pwerful, likely has great torque, and -knowing Toyota- could rival the LT1 in efficiency, the engine alone would have me choose the RC F over the M4. Add in the obnoxious looks and power for immediate gratification, plus the fact the Lexus F models are offered in a more limited quantity than it seems the M division produces, the ROI on this RC F may exceed that of the M4 in the long run when they reach auction in a few decades... If only the ATS-V was slated to have a V8...

Also I think the E90-E93 M3 value went up after these revealings. It may go down as the most trackable M3 ever due to its NA V8. The new M4 and its competition just didn't seem to take a big enough leap in improvement.

It's too soon to tell. We don't know anything about thing Lexus's suspension and handling traits in coupe form. We don't know anything about the BMW twin turbo inline 6. Those are the 2 biggest questions about these cars.

I would take the Lexus over the BMW over this. Over the long term nature of the car, I won't have to worry about turbo failure. Not to mention, with impending CAFE regulations, to see a V8 being shoehorned into this vehicle is very nice indeed.